Saw this the other day, blue state delivering. Ned Lamont turning the force and attention of Connecticut public health agencies toward meaningfully addressing this problem. Seems like a lot of smart people are invested in this in CT as a holistic approach.

https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Newsroom/Press-Releases---2024/Social-connection

“As a nation and a state, we are seeing an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. The health impacts of this epidemic are very real – they are so significant and so widespread that the U.S. Surgeon General has put social isolation and loneliness on the same level as public health crises like tobacco addiction, AIDS, drunk driving, obesity, and gun violence.” said Lt. Governor Bysiewicz. “We’ve seen recent efforts emerging to address this crisis, and today marks an important next step in exploring how we, as a state, can best address this issue.”

Inspired by the work of U.S. Senator Chris Murphy and a recent advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General, the Social Connection Campaign will:

Facilitate collaboration on an inter-agency basis to identify opportunities to foster greater social connection.

Raise awareness of existing and new efforts by State Agencies that improve social connection.

Work with partners beyond state government (federal, municipal, nonprofit, private, grassroots orgs and the public) to identify gaps, opportunities, and ideas related to improving social connection.

“The Connecticut Department of Public Health is proud to be a part of the Social Connection Campaign and its mission of addressing the concerns of loneliness and isolation,” said Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD. “There are several public health issues that are exacerbated by isolation. Some of these include chronic diseases, suicide and gun violence, children and adults with special health care needs, pregnant women who do not have access to proper pre-natal care, and the lack of proper eating habits and physical activity.”

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I think one problem is it’s so hard to trust strangers nowadays, hard to get to know who people really are.

Setting aside the object of religious worship for a moment, purely from a secular view Daniel Dennett’s book “Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon” goes into many ways in which religion was an positively adaptive force that shaped the development of humanity, leading it from a tribal nature (that could be extended to the country level) to one where larger groups that share common beliefs (like Democracy I guess) can coexist with lesser friction. So even without a god, religion was an important stepping stone to get us to today, which implies neither that it is still needed anymore nor that it is not so needed, nor that something better might not exist but it does say how that route in particular was what WAS used bc it WORKED.

But like anything, let’s say a gun, the proper use is one thing while improper use is another, and it can be dangerous if misused. Probably talking on social media is even one of these things (it can get addictive and therefore become maladaptive)! People who hold a gun should be aware of its potential for misuse, not just to oneself but to those around them as well, and those who are not aware are unfit to hold it, while those who are aware yet do not care are absolute jerks. And similarly with religion. And yes, as you pointed out, similarly with atheism/agnosticism/apatheism (a newer word meaning those who simply DGAF one way or another), as changes intended to have been made for the better end up missing a few pieces.

I am not arguing for any religion or lack thereof in particular, simply saying that those who don’t know their history… well you know the thing:-D.

I’d rather be lonely than silly though.

I’d argue the death of small businesses by large faceless corporations with no ties to the local communities has done more to kill local communities than church attendance.

Used to be your neighbors ran the stores you went to. You knew your money was helping your friends and staying with your community. You could have a little pride knowing your participating in your local community.

Now the small shops downtown are all gone and all that’s left are the big box store chains. And those big stores don’t invest in the community. They take everything they can and give it to their shareholders.

We need to break up everything.

I would argue it not the loss of Church’s by themselves, but their loss without a good replacement. You can’t go anywhere in America and gather without paying. There’s no place to just…exist. Even Churches usually required dues.

In the US, we have also lost a lot of that “sense of community” as we have moved to a more suburban lifestyle. Our houses are spread out, our businesses are spread out and we spend more time alone and not interacting with others from our local community. For example, we don’t walk to the store to buy groceries, a mode of transport where we are more likely to meet and interact with others. Instead, we get in our cars, alone and drive to the store. Once there, we might have interactions with others, but that not a guarantee. We then get back in our cars and drive home. There is no “public square” anymore, we don’t spend out time in “third spaces” (places other than home or work) in the same way that urbanized dwellers do.

While it had a lot of other baggage, churches were one of those “third spaces”. They provided a place for people to meet and socialize on a regular basis. This still worked for the suburban lifestyle, because it kept people regularly meeting and connecting in a way that nothing else did. The church also provided an way to organize other events beyond the basic worship services. As people have left churches, that organization has been lost and not replaced with anything. Even worse, when leaving a church, it’s not uncommon for the people of that church to ostracize the person leaving.

Ultimately, I’m not sure what the fix is. Religion seems to have run its course in modern society. People are leaving it because the baggage is too much to bear for the social benefits. Suburbanism is likely here to stay in some capacity, though there is always going to be an ebb and flow of people moving into and out of cities. But, that makes it hard to create vibrant “third spaces” for people to meet and interact. Also, those folks whom most need that socialization are probably also the same people who are less likely to see it out. I do think social media can help, as it allows folks to find and interact with others. But, it is also very easy to connect with some pretty horrible people and groups.

I’m not sure I agree with loneliness being a “health emergency”. But, it also seems like the county government is just trying to marshal resource to try and figure the problem out. So, good on 'em.

Give me some money and I’ll let you dance and pray and hug others like yourself in my private backyard.